1. University of Massachusetts Lowell, Department of Community Health and Sustainability
Special thanks to Ann Marie, David McCloskey, the LTLC Case Managers and all other employees of the LTLC!
Lowell Transitional Living Center
(LTLC)
Located at 205 Middlesex St., Lowell, MA.
A homeless shelter that provides 90 beds,
hot meals and other services including but
not limited to:
GED Classes
AA/NA classes
Emergency winter housing
In 2007, LTLC joined the city to
implement the “Housing First” model
Other Services, currently serves over
1100 clients, and has 300 volunteers
Challenges
 Occasionally clients would miss
appointments or arrive too late
 LTLC workers are extremely busy and
forgot to schedule interviews
 Inclement weather forced us to cancel
interviews
 Some interview stories were evidently
overly fabricated
Service
 Clients had an opportunity to tell their success
stories
 Collected data for the LTLC to better refine
their program and to show their success in
order to receive more funding
Learning
 Prior to the project we became certified to
interview specific clients
 We learned how to create a questionnaire and
conduct a survey while analyzing responses
 The pros and cons of a high pace working
environment
 How to quantify data and assemble it so that it
is easy for the public to read and understandThe Housing First Model
Sample Quantitative Questions
Sample Qualitative Questions
Project Description
Personal Reflections
 This project helped us to learn professional
interviewing skills, and processes of analysis
(quantitative and qualitative) that we will use
professionally within our future careers
 Opportunity to first-hand interview clients
which gave us experience working with a very
specific population
 For future students, if the questionnaire is
already completed, it may free up more time so
that more interviews can be completed
 What are you two things you think are important
to your successful housing?
 What advice would you give to those currently
going through homelessness?
 What do you think can be done to eliminate
homelessness?
 What is your next goal in life?
 Who referred you to LTLC, or how did you hear of
its services?
 On a scale from 1-5, how well do you think you
have managed your relationship with:
 Landlord
 Neighbors
 Neighborhood
 On a scale from 1-10, how would you rate LTLC’s
housing assistance program from entry into shelter
to housing?
 On a scale from 1-5, how helpful are the services
from the LTLC Case Managers?
 A survey and interview questionnaire was
developed and approved by the IRB
 We collected data by interviewing 14 of LTLC’s
successful clients then quantified the data and
their stories
 Individual write-up’s for each client were
created, along with a final overall review
 We collected this data to know the program’s
criteria for success, collect some lesson to
learn from this experience and to help the
LTLC sustain more funding in the future
 Housing first is a shift in addressing the costly
phenomenon of homelessness
 Housing First helps place clients in a stable
environment to then receive comprehensive
services during and after being housed, rather than
before (while still possibly in the shelter)
 Demonstrates impressive outcomes when people
are supported in a permanent, housed
environment that is safe
Success Story Interviews At
The Lowell Transitional Living Center
Michael Boyer and Linda Churchill